Pakistan pulled off the joint-highest successful run chase in an ODI tournament final on Saturday, October 31, 2026, defeating Sri Lanka by three wickets at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to claim the 2026–27 Pakistan ODI Tri-Series trophy. According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the hosts overhauled a 326-run target to finish on 331 for 7 in 48.3 overs after Sri Lanka posted 325 for 8 in 50 overs.
Fakhar Zaman anchored the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan title clash with 127 off 99 balls, earning Player of the Match honors for his 12th ODI century. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi sealed the victory with nine balls to spare, launching a six over midwicket off Dilshan Madushanka on the third delivery of the 49th over.
The victory handed Pakistan the home tri-nation trophy ahead of the 2027 Cricket World Cup and matched the 326-run target India chased down against England in the 2002 NatWest Series final at Lord’s. Because Afridi finished the game with a six, Pakistan’s final total of 331 for 7 also eclipsed India’s 326 for 8 as the highest winning score in an ODI tournament final involving three or more teams.
Fakhar Zaman and Arafat Minhas Rescue the SL vs PAK Chase
Pakistan’s pursuit started disastrously when left-arm pacer Madushanka removed opener Maaz Sadaqat for 5 off 7 balls and Babar Azam for a five-ball duck, both caught by Pavan Rathnayake, leaving the hosts reeling at 14 for 2 in 3.3 overs. Fakhar and wicketkeeper Saad Baig steadied the innings with a 149-run third-wicket partnership off 140 balls.
Baig struck 11 fours in his 74 off 75 balls, registering his maiden ODI half-century before Maheesh Theekshana caught and bowled him. Fakhar reached his hundred in the 30th over and hammered 11 fours and six sixes before charging down the track and missing a delivery from Madushanka that shattered his stumps in the 34th over. When Dunith Wellalage bowled Salman Ali Agha for 17 off 25 balls as the batter attempted a sweep in the 37th over, Pakistan slipped to 230 for 5, still needing 96 runs from 78 deliveries.
Sri Lanka tightened the screws through the middle overs, holding Pakistan without a boundary for more than ten overs as the required rate climbed to eight runs an over. All-rounder Arafat Minhas and Hasan Nawaz broke the drought in the 43rd over and rebuilt the chase with a 94-run sixth-wicket stand off 65 balls—Pakistan’s highest sixth-wicket or lower partnership against Sri Lanka at home in ODIs, surpassing Imran Khan and Saleem Malik’s 67-run stand in Faisalabad in 1987.
Minhas turned the match in the 46th over by clearing his front leg to hit Dasun Shanaka for six behind midwicket, followed by a lofted check-drive over mid-on for six off Madushanka in the 47th over. In the 48th over, Minhas clobbered two consecutive sixes and a straight four off Asitha Fernando to bring the target down to two runs from 14 balls. Fernando struck back immediately, catching Minhas off his own bowling for a 31-ball 61 (three fours, four sixes) and dismissing Faheem Ashraf for a golden duck, caught by Theekshana at deep square leg, to leave Pakistan at 324 for 7. Nawaz remained unbeaten on 37 off 45 balls (two fours) at the other end as Afridi walked in and finished the game at 6 not out off 3 balls. Madushanka led Sri Lanka’s attack with 3 for 63 in 9.3 overs, while Fernando took 2 for 72 in 9 overs, Theekshana finished with 1 for 57 in 10 overs, and Wellalage claimed 1 for 58 in 10 overs.
Kamindu Mendis Hits Maiden ODI Century in First Innings
Earlier, Afridi won the toss and elected to bowl first, making one forced change to the Pakistan lineup. “Shadab is not feeling well so we have brought in Faheem in his place. We are going with four pacers. We opted to field first as we had in mind that Sri Lanka batted second in the last four games,” Afridi said at the toss, as reported by The Express Tribune. Sri Lanka brought in Theekshana to replace Eshan Malinga.
Sri Lanka’s innings of 325 for 8 was built around a 146-run third-wicket stand off 119 balls between Kamindu Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake. Mendis struck 12 fours and two sixes on his way to a maiden ODI century, finishing with 131 off 128 balls. Rathnayake added 77 off 65 balls with eight fours, recording his fourth half-century of the series, as detailed in the CricTracker scorecard. Four Pakistan bowlers shared the eight wickets equally: Salman Ali Agha (2 for 44 in 7 overs), Shaheen Shah Afridi (2 for 50 in 10 overs), Haris Rauf (2 for 60 in 10 overs), and Naseem Shah (2 for 80 in 10 overs).
The tri-series ran from October 18 to October 31 across Rawalpindi and Lahore and included England, who was eliminated in the group stage despite defeating Sri Lanka 386 for 5 to 331 in the final group fixture on October 29. Saturday’s win also avenged Pakistan’s heavy group-stage defeat at Gaddafi Stadium on October 27, when Madushanka’s 5 for 34 bowled the hosts out for 110 in 25.3 overs in an eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.